James b



UNITED srafrns PATENT orriicn.

JAMES B. DUFF AND THOMAS YV. HEATING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ENVELOP-.MACHN'E To all whom it may concern:A

Be it known that we, JAMES B. DUrr and THOMAS lV. KuArrNc, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new a-nd useful Improvements in Machinery for Past-ing or Gumining and Folding Envelope;` and we do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section taken nearly through the center of a machine with our improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the machine, in the plane indicated by the line fc, of Fig. l, as seen looking in the direction of the arrow shown near that line. Fig. 3 is a plan of all of the machine below the plane indicated by the line y, y, in Fig. l, but omitting the parts above such plane. 4 is a plan of the folders. Figs. 5, 6, 7, S, 9, are views of separate parts of the machine, which will be hereinafter explained. Figs. 101 and ll, are respectively views of the blank and the folded envelop.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in a pasting appa-- ratus of'novel character by which the pasting of the envelop on any part but where it is required is effectively prevented.

It also consists in a novel contrivance for creasing the blanks in the lines in which the folds are to be produced. And it fur ther consists in an improved construction of the lappers by which the folds are finished.

A, A, B, B, C, is the main framing of the machine, consisting of two standards A, A, supporting a horizontal bed C, and stayed by stretchers 13,13. At the front end of this framing, and above and extending partly over the bed C, is the feed board K, upon which the envelop blanks are placed one by one by an attendant as fast as they can be taken by the feeding hooks D, D, and thereby carried to a position over the quadrangular open die E, and under the plunger F, which works through said die and carries the blanksthrough with it, thus bending the iiaps all at right angles to the center ofthe envelop, which bending is a preparatory stage of the folding operation.

At the two ends of the die E, and one on each sideof the machine are arranged boxes G, G, which contain the paste or adhesive nbottom of the machine.

material used to make the parts of the en- Yelop adhere, and in which work the pasters c6, a, which dip into the paste or adhesive material and apply it to the side flaps of the blanks before the plunger descends upon them. Some distance below the die E, is the folding table H, upon which the folding of the flaps is finished by four folding lappers I, I2, I3, It, which are upright when the plunger F comes down upon the table with the blank, but which, after the plunger has risen, fall over one after the other flat upon the table, which folds the flaps down one after the other.

Behind the folding table H, there is an inclined chute J, on to which the envelope, after being pasted and folded, are deposited by the fall of said table to the position shown in Fig. l, in red outline, and down which they slide on to the floor or into a suitable receptacle, passing in their way between a pair of pressure rolls U, U, which press together the pasted and folded flaps.

Te have endeavored to give, above, a general idea of the nature and operation of the principal parts of the machine, with a view to render the following more particular and detailed description more intelligible as itproceeds.

The feeding hooks D, D, which take the blanks from the feed table K, are formed on the ends of two long rods D', D', which are secured to a shaft D2, which works in bearings in two arms D3, D3, of a rockshaft D4, which is arranged in fixed bearings near the One of the arms D3, D3, is connected by a rod D, with an eccentric D5, on the main shaft L, of the machine, which works in bearings on the lower rails of the standards A, A; and this eccentric, by the vibratory motion it imparts to the arms D3, D3, gives the feeding hooks the requisite motion as is illustrated in Fig. l, where said hooks and arms are shown in black and red outline at the two extremities of their movement, and where, as well as in Fig. 2, the envelop blank is shown in blue outline on the feed board and also in red outline in the position to which it is carried by the feeding hooks. On the front partV of the feed board K, there is a stop b, which prevents the feeding hooks, as they come forward, from pushing off the bla-nk which has been placed upon the board during their advance. The said hooks are so beveled on their upper parts as to prevent them catchp ing the blank as they move forward to fetch it. There are stops Y, Y, secured to the back part of the top of the die, to bring the blank square with the die when the hooks have fed it up. The top of the die E is level with the face of the feed board, and it is while upon this die that the side laps of the blanks are pasted. 7e will however describe the whole of the folding apparatus before describing the details of the pasting apparatus, as the movements of the latter are derived from parts of the former.

The form of the interior of the die E, of course corresponds with that which the envelop is to have when folded. The exterior of the plunger F is of the same form and sharp for the purpose of creasing the paper surrounding it. The plunger is made hollow or with a cavity in its face sothat its lower edges c, c, may project and be made sharp for the purpose of creasing the paper exactly in the lines where the fold is to be made by the lappers I, I2, I3, 14, by forcing the latter into Contact with the face of the table H, which has a thick covering of indiarubber, as shown at (Z, CZ, Figs. l and 2, into which the sharp edges of the piston can. indent themselves and thus crease the paper without cutting it. The table H is made of metal and the india-rubber (Z, is applied to it in a sheet on the top of a thin layerof shellac, which is applied in a pulverized state to the surface of the table while the latter' is hot and thus melted so that the indiarubber will adhere to it.

The plunger is attached to a rod F, which works in guides in an upright standard F2, erected upon the top of the main framing, and which is prevented turning by means of a crosshead F3, and two guide rods e, e, which are attached to the said crosshead and work in guides in the standard F2. To effect the vertical movement of the plunger, its rod F, is connected with the arm M, of a rockshaft M4, which is arranged in bearings in the top of and near the rear of the machine, and which is furnished with another arm h 2, to which is connected a rod hf which works in fixed guides f, f, attached to the framing, and which is furnished at its bottom with a friction roller f', which bears upon a cam M, on the main shaft L. This cam-of which Fig. 5 is a view representing it detached from the machine-operates to lift the piston, but its descent is effected by the aid of a strong spring f3, applied to its arm hf 2, in addition to its own weight and that of a weight F4, applied on the top of its rod.

The forms of the lappers I', I2, I3, I4, which complete the folding process that has been partly effected by the operation of the plunger F, in combination with the die E, and the india-rubber face of the table H.,- ale bestl represented in Figs. 7 and 8, the

eaves former of which figures represents the lapper I2, and the latter t-he lapper It. The lapper I, is precisely like that I2, and the lapper I like that I4. Fig. 9 is a transverse section through the middle or operating portion of either lapper, as all are alike in their operating portions. They consist severally of flat plates attached to or made in the same piece with bent rockshafts N, N2, N3, N4, whose journals g, g, work in bearings L, 7L', h2, 71,2, 71,3, h2, if, 71,4, secured on the top of the bed C; said bearings being so arranged thatthe faces of the lappers may be brought Hat down upon the paper upon the folding table H. These lappers are made with square or angular edges y', at the junction of the heels c', with the faces asshown in Fig. 9, instead of round as shown in Fig. 9*, which is the usual construction, and being uprightduring the operation of the plunger, with their edges y', j, nearly close to the table H, they combine with said table when in that position, to form a square-bottomed box; and by that means the blanks are prevented rising from the table as the plunger rises therefrom, as they are very apt to do when the heels of the lappers are made round, and thus the folding of them all to a uniform size is insured. The said lappers are also so constructed (as shown in Fig. 9) that when they stand up right as they do when the plunger deposits the paper on the table H, their heels i, z', will be slightly above their centers of motion, but that their faces will project slightly beyond the said centers, so that the sharp edges y, formed by the junction of the heels and faces will descend and move very slightly outward toward the edge of the table as the lappers descend to fold the flaps; and by that means the said edges are caused to pass over and off the edges of the folds and lay them very flat. The cranklike bends of the rockshafts N3, N2, is to allow those N, N2, to work under them.

The lappers do not come down altogether,

but one slight-ly in advance of another in the order indicated by the numbers upon them, to fold the flaps so that their edges lap each other properly. They are operated by four cams O', O2, G3, O4, all of similar form, on the main shaft L, aided by four springs c, k2, ,703,-ci. The said cams act on four levers Z, Z2, Z2, Z4, which work on a xed fulcrum shaft P and which are connected respectively with the rockshafts N, N2, N2, N4, by rods m, m2, m2, m4, and the said springs connect the levers with the framing of the machine in such a manner as to keep the anti-friction rollers a', 71,2, a2, at, with which the levers are furnished, in contact with the cams. The cams open or throw back the lappers, and the springs bring them down to make the fold. The partly-folded envelop is repre- Athe interior of the bottom flap.

eaves. .3

sented in blue outline in Figs. 1, 2, 3, which represent the lappers at the time of I having completed, I2 having nearly completed, I3 having just commenced, and I4 not having yet commenced, their respective operations. Fig. 4 shows the operation of all as having been completed and represents the envelop folded as in Fig. l1.

The pasting of the blank to secure the side and bottom flaps of the envelop t0- gether is only required along the lower margin r, 1', of the exterior of the side flaps,- which, after the folding is complet-ed come in contact with the marginal portion of Then a blank` arrives over the die E, its side flaps are over the two paste boxes G, Gr, and pasters a, a. These pasters consist each of a piece of wire or plate metal, arranged with its edge upward, and curved to the form of the margin of the side flaps of the blank. The said pasters are attached to the front ends of long levers Q, Q, which work on fulcrum pins in smallstandards Q', Qf, 0n the top of the framing. The rearmost arms of these levers, which are longer and heavier than the forward arms that carry the pasters, rest in forks p, yi, provided for them on the arms D, D, beforedescriloed; and as the said arms more forward to make the feeding hooks fetch a blank from the feeding table, the said forks lift the rear ends of said levers Q, Q, and cause the pasters to descend into the paste at the bottoms of the boxes to take a supply; and afterward as the said arms return to produce the feed motion of the hooks, the rear arms of said levers are permitted to descend by gravitation and raise the pasters above the top of the box. The pasters do not come in contact with the flaps by their own action, as the said iiaps on the arrival of the blank over the die E, are held up by two thin elastic plates or flat snrine's K, K. which are attached to the feed board and project therefrom in a rearward direction partly over the paste boxes; but the flaps are forced down into contact with the pasters by the action of two fingers s, s, at the eX- tremities of two levers R, R, which are arranged on two stationary fulcrum pins t, t, secured in the standard F2. These lingers are held up out of the way of the pasters and blanks during the whole of the time occupied in feeding and folding, by means of springs 2t', f, applied to the levers R, R, and only depressed momentarily during the short interval which elapses between the deposit of the blank upon the die E, and the entry of the plunger F, into said die. The momentaryT depression of the levers R, R, and the fingers s, s, is effected as the plunger F commences its descent, by the action of the lower toe-shaped extremities of the two guide rods e, c, on two tumblers 252, t2, at-

tached by pins t3, 3, to the levers; the said toe-shaped ends striking said tumblers near their extremities, and after depressing them a little way, passing them, and allowing the springs zf, t, to raise them. The levers are furnished with stops for the tumblers to rest against when the latter are depressed, but the latter are allowed to rise as far as necessary for the rods e, e, to pass them without. disturbing the levers R, R, as the plunger F rises. The fingers s, s, have grooves extending the whole length of their bottom faces as shown in Fig. 2, and also in Fig. (3, which latter gure exhibits a section parallel with Fig. l, of the pasting apparat-us employed at one side of the machine, and owing to the positions of the pastel' and finger s, it exhibits them partly in perspective. These grooves in the bottom of the fingers a, s, must be amply wide enough to receive the pasters without the latter touching either side, and the descent of the said lingers, which takes place when the pastel' is 1aieed to its highest position should be just low enough for the two edges at the sides of the grooves of the fingers to pass slightly below the upper edges of the pasters which constitute their operating faces. @ne edge of each finger a, occupies a position over the rear portion of the corresponding spring plate K and the rear terminations of the spring plates are in lines parallel with and very near the pasters, so that they may pass each other; and hence as the fingers descend to press th-e flaps upon the pasters, they press down the spring plates at the same time, and as the lingers rise again they raise the flaps out of contact with the pasters. By thisl .system ot' pasting apparatus all smearing effectively prevented, and if the feeding hooks should miss or the machine remain in operation for any length of time without any blanks being supplied, the pasters will touch no partof the machine, but leave everything clean and thus prevent the blanks that are subsequently supplied to the machine from being pasted on the wrong side, as frequently happens with other pasting apparatus if the feed mot-ion misses orthe supply of blanks to the machine is suspended.

To provide for the falling of the folding table H, to the position represented in l. in red outline and before referred to, for the purpose of discharging the pasted and folded envelop, the said table is secured to or cast with two stout levers Si', 2, which are connected by a strong hinge-joint @1,with the bottom of the bed C; and it is connected at a', by a rod S, with one end of a lever S3, secured to a rockshaft S4, fitted to work in bearings in the lower parts of the standards A, A. The other end of the lever is fitted with an anti -friction roller u2, to be acted upon by a cam S, on the main shaft. This cani is of the same form as the cams which operate the lapper (one of which cams U3 is fully represented in Fig. l.) and by its action above the lever S3, it holds up the table H, during the greater portion of each revolution of the main shaft, and then allows itto descend by gravil tation to deposit the envelop on the upper portion of the inclined chute J4. To insure the removal of the envelop from the` table H, two stationary fingers w, w, are attached to the framing of the machine, below said table, and are arranged to pass through slots ea, w, in the said table as the latter descends and thus to tip up the front side of the envelop from the. surface of the table, which makes it. certain to slip off and to be deposited on the upper part of the chute J. This chute is simply an inclined plane, but it is made in two pieces with a space between them, through which the lower one of the pressure rolls U, U, presents itself to receive the envelops upon it. rl`he lower pressure roll receives a continuous rotary motion through a belt e, from a pulley V, on the main shaft L, and the upper one receives motion by its friction on the surface of the lower one or upon the envelope passing over it. rIhe weightof the upper roll must be sufficient or it must be loaded by weights or springs applied atits journals to press the envelops sutliciently to cause the adhesion of the pasted parts. It will be understood from the description of the pasting apparatus that this machine does not apply the gum or gluten to the seal flap. This is applied by any suitable means to the blanks and allowed to dry before the said blanks are supplied to the machine.

It will be observed that by having the axes of the lappers I, I2, I3, I4', arranged above the level of the table, an open space is left immediate-ly between the heels of the lappers and the surface of the tables; and that when the plungerfdescends, the paper' is bulged a little, and slightly passes under the said heels, which hold vthe paper and prevent it from rising or getting out of place when the plunger rises. This open space is filled by the face of the lappers when they close, and the edges of the paper, which before rested under the heels, are folded flat upon the table.

In addition to the bulging of the paper under the hee-ls of the lappers, the retention of the paper in place is also assisted by the vertical faces of the lappers, against which eef/ee the paper is pressed by the plunger when it descends.

le do not. claim, broadly, the invention of oscillating lappers to fold envelops; nor do we claim. the arrangement and combination of a half circle with the heels or base of the lappers.

le distinctly disclaim the folding flaps projecting from the center or nearly so from the end of a shaft or shafts and having their bearings on one end or on each end thereof, whether with or without the half circles,- as set forth in the 25rd claim of Milton G. Puifers patent, Nov. 23d, 1858, and we hereby disclaim all and every part covered by said Puffer-s invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, we will proceed to state what we claim as our invention, and desire to securel by Letters-Patent.

l. le claim the combination of the pasters a, d, the grooved pressure fingers s, 8, and the spring plates K', K; the whole being applied to operate substantially as herein set forth. l v

2. In combination with a folding table having its surface composed of india-rubber or other elastic substance, we claim the use of a plunger' operating through a die above the said table and pro-vided with sharp projecting edges, for the purpose, after it has forced the blank through the die and thus turned back the flaps, of making a sharp crease where the fold is to be made, by pressure between said edges and the elastic surface substantially as herein described.

3. We claim placing` the faces of the lappers I', l2, I3, It, in front of their centers of motion, and their axes above the level of the table, as herein shown and described, so that the plunger E, when it descends shall pass close against the faces of the lappers, and the heels of the lappers, when the latter close, will move outward away from the paper, as herein shown and described.

4L. 1We claim having an open space between the heel of the lappers I, I2, I3, It, to receive and hold the edges of the paper when it is pressed therein by the descent of the plunger, as and for the purposes herein shown and described.

JAS. B. DUFF. THOS. XV. KEATING.

lVitnesses J. WV. CooMBs, A. R. HAIGHT. 

